The present invention relates to the field of low power device proximity sensing and, more particularly, to enabling proximate host assisted location tracking of a short range wireless low power locator tag.
As users' daily lives continue to get more hectic and unpredictable, technologies which help users with daily tasks and responsibilities have become an integral part of their lives. One device which has widespread use and appeal are locator tags for important/valuable items such as wallets, keys, and even electronics. Typically locator tags are attached to the item and a host device running an application paired to the tag via Bluetooth establishes tag location/state. These devices are often paired to a host device such as a mobile phone or computer. That is, the tags allow the tracked item to be “tethered” to a host device (e.g., like a leash). Frequently, BLUETOOTH locator tags are routinely used to alert users when items, children, or pets go out of range of a user's mobile phone. For example, when a pet wanders out of range of the mobile phone an audible alarm can be triggered on the mobile phone and/or on the tag to indicate to the user that their pet is wandering out of range. However, once the device is out of range, there is no way to locate the device or even estimate how far it has gone.